Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Mindy Goldman

Publications and source records attributed to Mindy Goldman.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Improving the bacteriological safety of platelet transfusions.

Despite the increased application of aseptic techniques for blood collection and the preparation of platelet concentrates, morbidity and mortality arising from the transfusion of bacterially contaminated allogeneic platelet products persist. This problem exists because stored platelet concentrates represent a nearly ideal growth medium for bacteria and because they are stored at temperatures (22 degrees +/- 2 degrees C) that facilitate bacterial growth. The presence of bacteria in blood components including platelets has been a problem for many decades and currently is the most common microbiological cause of transfusion-associated morbidity and mortality. A variety of strategies have been devised and/or proposed in an attempt to try to reduce the risk of transfusion-associated sepsis. These include pretransfusion bacterial detection, efforts to reduce the likelihood of bacterial contamination, the optimization of blood product processing and storage, reducing recipient exposure, and the introduction of pathogen inactivation methodology. With regard to doing bacterial detection, a number of automated detection systems have become available to test for contaminated platelet components, but their utility to some extent is restricted by the time they take to indicate the presence of bacteria and/or their lack of sensitivity to detect initially low bacterial loads. A variety of other approaches has been shown to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination and include filtration to remove leukocytes and bacteria, diversion of the initial aliquot of blood during donation, and improved donor skin disinfection. Platelet pathogen inactivation methods under investigation include the addition of L-carnitine, gamma-irradiation, riboflavin plus UVA irradiation, and amotosalen HCl plus UVA irradiation. The latter process is licensed for clinical use with platelets in some countries in Europe. All of these approaches, either collectively or individually, hold considerable promise that the prevalence of adverse events associated with bacteria in platelet products will decline significantly in the very foreseeable future.

Automation↗
PubMed2004

Proceedings of a consensus conference: the screening of blood donors for variant CJD.

Since the identification, in 1996, of the first case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans various approaches have been implemented and/or proposed to prevent this disease from being transfusion transmitted. In addition, a variety of possible laboratory-based approaches have been developed and will continue to be developed for the vCJD screening of blood donors. Various issues related to the implementation of such vCJD testing is likely to assume greater importance as diagnostic tests for vCJD becomes available for the potential screening of blood donors. The purpose of this Consensus Conference was to bring together international experts in an effort to determine which principles should guide the introduction of such testing. These experts provided the scientific and biological background of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and vCJD, an understanding of their current epidemiology, as well as the ethical and legal issues that would impact on the implementation of a screening test for preventing the transfusion transmission of vCJD. This contentious issue is of potential considerable importance to transfusion medicine personnel worldwide, as well as to future recipients of allogeneic blood components.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

A rare drug reaction to methotrexate after treatment for ectopic pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Ectopic pregnancies are commonly diagnosed and treated in physicians' offices. In the hemodynamically stable patient, therapy often includes treatment with methotrexate. Well-known adverse effects of this drug include mucositis, abdominal cramping, and malaise. We report a case of a rare drug reaction after treatment with methotrexate. CASE: A 34-year-old, gravida 2, para 0, at 7 weeks of gestation by last menstrual period was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and treated with methotrexate. The patient had an anaphylactoid reaction shortly after administration of methotrexate. CONCLUSION: Methotrexate is a commonly used therapy for ectopic pregnancies in the outpatient setting. Practitioners should be aware of the potential adverse reactions to methotrexate.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗
PubMed2004

HPA-5b (Bra) neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia in Quebec: incidence and clinical outcome in 31 cases.

BACKGROUND: Clinical detection of neonatal allo-immune thrombocytopenia (NAITP) is often less than the incidence predicted in prospective studies. The aims of this study were to calculate the observed and expected incidence of NAITP in Quebec, Canada, and to evaluate the clinical outcome of infants with anti-HPA-5b NAITP. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Records from 1998 to 2002 of the only PLT serology laboratory for the province of Quebec were reviewed, as were hospital charts of all HPA-5 cases. The number of expected NAITP cases was estimated with known alloantigen gene frequencies. RESULTS: Ninety cases of NAITP were identified. The clinical detection rate was 1 in 4100, with 9 to 30 percent of expected HPA-1a and 11 to 23 percent of expected HPA-5b NAITP cases detected. Seventy-eight percent of cases of HPA-5b NAITP were asymptomatic. Sixty-three percent of all deliveries but 94 percent of HPA-5b cases occurred in hospitals performing cord blood PLT counts. CONCLUSION: The NAITP detection rate was 25 to 50 percent of the rate reported in prospective trials. The less severe clinical presentation of NAITP owing to HPA-5b was confirmed. The frequent routine determination of cord blood PLT counts may explain increased detection of asymptomatic NAITP involving anti-HPA-5b.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Clinical outcomes following institution of the Canadian universal leukoreduction program for red blood cell transfusions.

CONTEXT: A number of countries have implemented a policy of universal leukoreduction of their blood supply, but the potential role of leukoreduction in decreasing postoperative mortality and infection is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical outcomes following adoption of a national universal prestorage leukoreduction program for blood transfusions. DESIGN, SETTING, AND POPULATION: Retrospective before-and-after cohort study conducted from August 1998 to August 2000 in 23 academic and community hospitals throughout Canada, enrolling 14 786 patients who received red blood cell transfusions following cardiac surgery or repair of hip fracture, or who required intensive care following a surgical intervention or multiple trauma. INTERVENTION: Universal prestorage leukoreduction program introduced by 2 Canadian blood agencies. A total of 6982 patients were enrolled during the control period and 7804 patients were enrolled following prestorage leukoreduction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All-cause in-hospital mortality and serious nosocomial infections (pneumonia, bacteremia, septic shock, all surgical site infections) occurring after first transfusion and at least 2 days after index procedure or intensive care unit admission. Secondary outcomes included rates of posttransfusion fever and antibiotic use. RESULTS: Unadjusted in-hospital mortality rates were significantly lower following the introduction of leukoreduction compared with the control period (6.19% vs 7.03%, respectively; P =.04). Compared with the control period, the adjusted odds of death following leukoreduction were reduced (odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.99), but serious nosocomial infections did not decrease (adjusted OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.87-1.09). The frequency of posttransfusion fevers decreased significantly following leukoreduction (adjusted OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.94), as did antibiotic use (adjusted OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.99). CONCLUSION: A national universal leukoreduction program is potentially associated with decreased mortality as well as decreased fever episodes and antibiotic use after red blood cell transfusion in high-risk patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Proceedings of a consensus conference: blood-borne HIV and hepatitis-optimizing the donor selection process.

Over the past several years, concern for the safety of blood transfusion has evolved from a primary focus on bacterial infections such as syphilis to viral infections including hepatitis B, C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and most recently, the theoretical risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). As a result of these changes, blood bankers have found themselves faced with the dilemma of balancing the rights of transfusion recipients to receive safe blood products, with the rights of individuals wishing to donate blood as an altruistic contribution to society.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2002

Declining value of preoperative autologous donation.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative autologous blood donation (PABD) has been shown to decrease allogeneic blood transfusion requirements in major elective surgery. Changes in transfusion practice motivated an examination of blood use from 1993 to 2000 of patients participating in the Héma-Québec PABD program. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood donation and transfusion, type of surgery, and demographic characteristics were prospectively entered into a computer database for patients participating in the Héma-Québec PABD program. RESULTS: Autologous donations represented from 0.8 to 2 percent of total blood collections and have declined by 26 percent after peaking in 1995. The mean number of units collected per patient declined, as did the number of units transfused per patient and the utilization rate. For radical prostatectomy, knee replacement surgery, hip replacement surgery, and scoliosis, utilization rates were 72, 60, 83, and 78 percent in 1993 compared with 50, 50, 58, and 58 percent in 2000, respectively. In 2000, 18 percent of patients were receiving a 1-unit autologous transfusion. Depending on the surgical procedure, 85 to 95 percent of patients avoided allogeneic transfusion; this did not change significantly from 1993 to 2000. CONCLUSION: Patients participating in the PABD program successfully avoided allogeneic transfusion in over 85 percent of cases. However, declining utilization rates and frequent 1-unit transfusions demonstrate the decreasing utility of PABD over time.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood donor selection and screening: strategies to reduce recipient risk.

Various measures are taken to ensure the safety of the blood supply. Donor selection begins with education of the public about transfusion-transmissible diseases. Potential donors must answer a questionnaire designed to identify specific risk factors for these infections. The questionnaire is the only line of protection against certain infections for which no testing is performed, such as malaria, babesiosis, leishmaniasis, and Chagas disease. All donations are tested for the presence of antibodies to HIV-1 and -2, HCV, HTLV and syphilis, the hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg), the p24 antigen (HIV), and also for HIV and HCV nucleic acids. The introduction of new and improved screening tests for transfusion-transmissible diseases has led to remarkable improvement in the safety of the blood supply, with substantial shortening of the window period for HIV, HCV, and HBV infections. The current challenge of the industry is to reduce even further the small but significant risk of bacterial contamination of platelet components. Finally, some safety measures are purely precautionary, such as the deferral of donors who have traveled to certain countries affected by the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Antibodies, Viral↗